Naples takes the world's most famous stage. Professor Andrea Mazzucchi, Rector of the University of Naples Federico II, was presented with the 2026 Italian Reputation Award on Saturday, October 10, at Carnegie Hall in New York. The award, currently in its third year, recognizes individuals whose work enhances Italy's international reputation. Professor Annamaria Colao, Vice President of the Italian National Health Council and UNESCO Federico II Chair on the Mediterranean Diet, presented the prize to the Rector. The award was presented to Mazzucchi "for his significant contribution to the prestige of Italian universities by integrating scientific rigor, humanistic culture, and institutional responsibility. Andrea Mazzucchi, a full professor of Philology of Italian Literature and one of the most famous experts of Dante and the medieval heritage, has over 300 publications and is a member of the Accademia della Crusca. In 2026, he was chosen Rector of Federico II University, taking charge of one of Europe's oldest and most famous institutions. He embodies a university vision that combines tradition and the future, cultural heritage and innovation, identity and international openness". Just weeks after entering office on September 1st, Rector Mazzucchi brought Federico II, the world's oldest state and secular university founded in 1224, to one of the world's most prominent theaters.